Date:	Monday 17 June 1946
Time:	afternoon
Type:	North American P-51C-10-NT Mustang Mk III
Owner/operator:	306 (City of Torun) Sqn RAF
Registration:	KH541
MSN:	MSN 111-29094
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, England. -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Coltishall, Norfolk

Narrative:
North American P-51C-10-NT Mustang Mk. III: Ex-USAAF 44-10966 (MSN 111-29094) to RAF as Mustang III KH541. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 17 June 1946 in a flying accident when with No. 306 (City of Torun) Polish Fighter Squadron (Polish: 306 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Toruński")

Shortly after takeoff from RAF Coltishall, the Mustang climbed to an altitude of 1,200 feet when the engine failed, and the pilot - Warrant Officer (st. sierżant) Witold Krupa (RAF Service Number 784331) - force landed Mustang KH541 in a field just beyond the airfield perimeter, within the circuit area, as he was unable to regain the circuit of the airfield

Although Mustang KH541 was written off as FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E), and therefore "damaged beyond repair", the pilot sems to have escaped uninjured. (He died in Kraków, Poland on 5 March 1999, aged 86). The loss of Mustang KH541 appears to have been the final operational loss in service of 306 (City of Torun) (Polish) Squadron while in RAF/Polish AF service. The squadron disbanded at RAF Coltishall on 7 January 1947.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.43 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.162
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft KA100-KZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 306 (Polish) Squadron ORB (Operations Record Book) (Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1944 to 31/12/1946: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1674 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2504316
5. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html
6. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.101: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
7. http://www.polishsquadronsremembered.com/306/306_losses.html
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._306_Polish_Fighter_Squadron
9. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/07/a2858907.shtml
10. https://listakrzystka.pl/en/krupa-witold-jozef/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Coltishall#Second_World_War

Pilots of 306 (City of Torun) Squadron, RAF (Polish AF) RAF Churchstanton, 26-28 January 1942. Sgt (later Warrant Officer) Witold Krupa is the one holding the dog, the squadron mascot. THE POLISH AIR FORCE IN BRITAIN, 1940-1947 © IWM (CH 4789)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Jul-2021 20:27	Dr. John Smith	Added
23-Jul-2021 20:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator]
23-Jul-2021 20:28	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Registration]
23-Jul-2021 20:28	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
23-Jul-2021 20:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
23-Jul-2021 22:25	Jouda	Updated [Time, Operator, Operator]
23-Jun-2023 19:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Time, Operator, Operator]]